Porsche Boxster, Porsche Cayman: Premiere at LA Motor Show

The facelifted Porsche Boxster and Porsche Cayman have celebrated their premiere at the LA Auto Show.

The highlight of the new generation is of course the new flat-six boxer engines developed with new technical features from the ground up, providing not only more power, but also significantly greater fuel efficiency than their predecessors. A further improvement of both fuel economy and performance is guaranteed by the Porsche-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe or PDK for short, the new double-clutch gearbox.

Newly developed Boxer engines with even more power on even less fuel Displacing 2.9 litres, the “basic” engine develops 255 bhp (188 kW) in the Boxster and 265 bhp (195 kW) in the Cayman, an increase by 10 and, respectively, 20 horsepower over the preceding models. The 3.4-litre power unit in the S-versions, benefiting from Direct Fuel Injection, now delivers 310 bhp (228 kW) in the Boxster S and 320 bhp (235 kW) in the Cayman S, up by 15 and, respectively, 25 bhp. An outstanding power-to-weight ratio ranging from 4.2 kg (9.3 lb)/bhp on the Cayman S to 5.2 kg (11.5 lb)/bhp on the Boxster offers the driver maximum driving dynamics on minimum fuel. As a result, the Cayman S with PDK and Launch Control featured in the optional Sports Chrono Package accelerates to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, setting the benchmark in the range, while the Boxster with its six-speed manual gearbox featured as standard completes the same exercise in 5.9 seconds.

Featuring PDK, both the Boxster and the Cayman for the first time outperform the nine-litre consumption mark: Both models with the new 2.9-litre Boxer engine make do with 8.9 litres/100 kilometres (equal to 26.4 mpg US) according to the EU4 standard – 11 per cent less than the former models with Tiptronic S. Reducing fuel consumption by an even more significant 16 per cent to 9.2 litres/100 kilometres (equal to 25.5 mpg US), the 3.4-litre versions with PDK offer an even greater saving over their predecessors with Tiptronic S.